In order for an organization to run smoothly, decisions must constantly be made. How those decisions are made is an important factor in the success of a decision. The leader of an organization must decide whether to take full control of the decision-making process or to allow input from other employees when making decisions.

Top-Down Decision-Making

Top-down decision-making identifies the desired outcome or results of a project before determining the process to achieve those results. This type of decision-making often accompanies a top-down management style where the heads of an organization make the decisions and pass them down to other members of the organization to implement. Members of an organization often have trouble accepting top-down decision-making because they are not given input into the decision-making process. Unless the heads of an organization are involved in the day-to-day operations of the organization at multiple levels, decisions made using the top-down style may result in unrealistic goals and excessive amounts of work for other members of the organization.

Bottom-Up Decision-Making

Bottom-up decision-making takes the opposite approach of top-down decision-making. Instead of setting goals before determining the process to reach those goals and leaving organization heads to make decisions on their own, input from multiple levels is considered in the process. While the heads of an organization still make the final decision, that decision is informed by member surveys and discussing realistic options with the different departments in an organization. In order for bottom-up decision-making to be effective, heads of an organization must compare the information received with their own professional knowledge to make a wise and informed decision. While some decisions may be popular with members of the organization, the head may determine they are not the wisest course of action.

Representative Decision-Making

Representative decision-making takes the decision-making power out of the hands of an organization's head and gives it to a group that represents multiple facets of the organization. In this type of decision-making, at least one individual is selected from each department in the organization, including the leadership, to be part of the decision-making process. These individuals solicit input on decisions from their co-workers and bring that input to meetings where the group considers all possible options. After considering all input and options, the group comes to a consensus on the decision.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Decision-Making

In addition to determining who makes decisions in an organization, there are different components that go into making a decision. Quantitative decision-making looks at facts and numbers in order to come up with a decision. Qualitative decision-making focuses on experience and considers other aspects, such as employee feelings and customer relationships. A successful organization will combine the two types of decision-making in order to make decisions that are beneficial to the future of the organization.

About the Author

Stacy Zeiger began writing in 2000 for "Suburban News Publication" in Ohio and has expanded to teaching writing as an eighth grade English teacher. Zeiger completed creative writing course work at Miami University and holds a B.A. in English and a M.Ed. in secondary education from Ohio State.